How We Can Fight Our Fear of Getting Bad News

One of those times was near the end of my pregnancy with our youngest daughter. The results from a couple of tests I’d had done made me think something might be wrong with our baby. We weren’t strangers to this particular type of fear; our first baby was stillborn due to a birth defect, and I’d also had a miscarriage prior to this pregnancy.

In the midst of my worries about what I might hear at my next doctor’s appointment, God, as always, proved Himself faithful. I came across this verse in my daily Bible reading.

“He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.” ~Psalm 112:7

If we look back at verses 5 and 6 in that chapter, we see that the “he” the Psalmist refers to is the good and righteous man. If we are walking with God, we don’t have to be afraid of hearing bad news. Instead, we can rest in knowing that whatever God allows to come into our lives, He can give us the strength to handle it.

Notice that it doesn’t say we won’t get bad news. None of us are exempt from the trials of life. It just says that we don’t have to fear it.

And why don’t we have to fear getting those “evil tidings?” It seems like it’s part of our human nature to anticipate the worst at times, to allow ourselves to dive headlong into worst-case scenarios. Fear and worry are powerful foes.

The second part of the verse above says we don’t have to fear those evil tidings if our heart is fixed on God and we’re trusting in Him. In other words, if I’m confident in the goodness of God and assured of His love for me, I don’t have to worry about all those “what-if’s”

This reminds me of another verse, Isaiah 26:3.

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.“

What causes my heart to be fixed on God? How can I keep my mind stayed on Him? I think these three ideas will help us in that area.

Know God.

I can’t fix my heart on God and totally trust Him if I don’t know Him. I have to learn about His character and realize that He is trustworthy. That naturally leads to the second thought.

Know His Word.

The Bible is where I learn about God. I claim His promises, I read about His qualities, I see how He faithfully worked in the lives of others.

Trust God

Both verses above use the word trust. Trust is an act of my will. I must choose to believe in the goodness of God. I have to be willing to put my confidence in Him.

We can fear bad news on so many fronts. For instance, my fears now are quite different from what they used to be. Now they run along these lines. What diseases might old age bring to my husband and myself? Will God protect our daughters from all of the dangers there are as they gain new freedoms like driving? Will our girls continue to make good decisions after they leave our home?

So it’s back to God’s Word I go, back to fixing my heart on Him and keeping my mind stayed on Him. Satan would like for me to live in the grip of worry and fear, but God wants me to live in the freedom that comes when I fully trust Him. I can continue to claim Psalm 112:7 in each situation, and be thankful for the peace I find there.

As far as the situation I referred to at the beginning of this post, and the bad news I was anticipating about our baby – other than my needing a C-section due to her being a large baby (I guess 9 pounds, 1 ounce was a big baby for me!), everything turned out just fine.

Are you facing a particular situation that has an unpredictable outcome? I pray that you will find comfort by focusing on God’s character, meditating on His Word, and trusting Him to do all for His glory and your good.

[Just so you know,I won’t be around on the blog much over the next few days.It’s the final week of fine arts competition for my girls, so I’m off to watch them compete. I hope to share a video or two and some pictures on Instagram, if you follow me there. Have a great week!]

Related

Comments

Yes, I’m waiting right now to see if we get bad news. Well, it might be good news, but it might be bad. And no matter what we hear, I won’t know if it’s really good or bad for a while. I’m just glad that I know the omniscient God Who wants what’s best for me. Otherwise, you can imagine how worried I would be!

You are so right – what we think is bad news may, in some way, turn out to be good news in the long run.

I was just talking to a friend yesterday about a move her family made to another state a couple of years ago. She really dreaded the change in locations at first, but has seen it turn out to be good for her family in so many ways. Very thankful that we can trust in an all-knowing God, as you say!

THANK YOU SO MUCH for this post!!! I have a major problem dreading getting bad news – so much so that I refuse to answer the phone most of the time. My voicemail message tells people to either text or email me – I want to see whatever they’re coming at me with written out, so I have moments to process it, instead of immediately having to react and reply. Thank you for this reminder to constantly re-focus on trusting Him!!!

And best of luck to your sweet girls! I can’t wait to hear how it goes!!!